Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device which interacts with a person by voice.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, robots which provide various kinds of information by interacting with a person are being developed. In particular, many communication robots are being developed which process voice input through a microphone and which returns a voice response to the input. In addition, attempts are being made to impart simulated emotions to a robot to enable the robot to interact in a more human-like manner.
For example, a robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-090109 is characterized in that a degree of intimacy is calculated based on the number of interactions and a total time of the interactions and that a response to a user is changed based on the calculated degree of intimacy. In addition, a robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-488779 is characterized in that the robot determines a degree of intimacy based on contents of an utterance made by a user to the robot and returns an appropriate response.